Eskasoni community appeals for help in search for missing woman

ESKASONI – Leaders of the Eskasoni Mi'kmaq Nation are asking for help in the search for a missing 23-year-old woman.

Chrisma Ann Joy Denny has not been seen since Sept. 11 when she was at the Eskasoni band office.

On Monday, band communications officer George Paul released a statement from the Eskasoni chief and counci.

"It is a trying time for our community and Chrisma's family - the family is asking for more people to get involved, spread the word through social media - we need volunteers to be on the lookout for Chrisma in all areas of Cape Breton and the rest of Nova Scotia," said the statement.

Meanwhile, a candlelight vigil will be held tonight for the missing woman.

Cheryl Maloney, president of the Nova Scotia Native Women’s Association, is part of a contingent from the organization that will attend the vigil and then team up with the community to organize plans to widen the search.

“We want to show the community that we are there to support them,” said Maloney.

“Our experience with these situations is that it is very challenging and they need a lot of emotional, financial and spiritual support.”

Maloney also said the NSNWA is launching a province-wide poster and awareness campaign to help locate Denny who was partly raised in the foster care system.

She said that while every missing person situation is different she has noticed a disturbing trend that Native children raised outside of their immediate family have a greater chance of going missing, committing suicide or becoming victims of crime.

“That’s probably true of mainstream society, too, but the statistics are alarming in that so many children in that situation do not finish school and end up with serious problems,” said Maloney.

“We’re going to do whatever we can to see what the community needs and to bring the issue out – we will work with the community and the family to make sure there is awareness out there.”

The NSNWA president said the organization will utilize its province-wide network of Native community groups to investigate any leads into Denny’s disappearance.

The vigil for Denny will take place at 7 p.m. at the Holy Family Parish in Eskasoni.

Meanwhile, the Cape Breton Regional Police issued a public notice last week asking for assistance in finding the missing woman who is five feet, six inches tall and about 145 pounds. She has brown hair and eyes.

Anyone with information on Chrisma is asked to call CBR police at 902-563-5151 or the Eskasoni RCMP at 902-379-2822.